Watching the situation 'very carefully': India on North Korea

New Delhi: As tensions mount in the Korean peninsula, India on Monday said it was watching the situation ‘very carefully’. Noting that Joint Secretary in foreign ministry’s East Asia division, Gautam Bambawale, was just back from a visit to North Korea, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said,“We will conduct a review as to what is the actual situation and what we need to do.” [caption id=“attachment_690730” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  India on Monday said it was watching the situation ‘very carefully’. AP[/caption] India, in the past, has expressed concern over the launch of a rocket by North Korea, saying “this unwarranted action” by Pyongyang has “adversely impacted peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula”. Last week, India also said it has taken note of a North Korean evacuation advisory to foreign missions in Pyongyang amidst global concerns that the isolated state was preparing a missile launch at a time of heightened nuclear tensions. “India has taken note of it and is in touch with our mission. We will take an appropriate decision in time,” official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin said. North Korea had warned that it could not guarantee the safety of diplomats after this Wednesday and asked embassies to consider moving staff out of the country. The message to diplomats came as tensions in the region continued to escalate despite international efforts to defuse the situation. Many of North Korea’s angry statements have cited the annual military exercises between the US and South Korean forces as provocation. PTI